Smart car savings: How to keep it affordable and comfortable

Driving is freedom. It gets you where you need to be: work, school, family, weekends away. But that freedom also comes at a price. Maintenance, MOT, parts, unexpected repairs, it can sometimes come in really hard.

Driving is freedom. It gets you where you need to be: work, school, family, weekends away. But that freedom also comes at a price. Maintenance, MOT, parts, unexpected repairs, it can sometimes come in really hard. At Carvendo, we often hear that people are particularly afraid of “what may come” at the garage. That's why we want to make it more human, transparent and smarter. Because saving on car costs has nothing to do with sacrificing safety or comfort. It's just about making upfront choices and knowing what to look out for.

Take the APK, for example.

The inspection itself ranges somewhere between €19 and €70, which is pretty strange, in fact, that it varies so much. But yes, garages often use that price as a lure. Get them cheaply and hope they earn extra money on maintenance. That is why one simple agreement remains important: never have anything repaired until you have explicitly agreed to it. You decide. Not the garage company.

Many people don't know that you can save dozens of euros in advance with a few simple things. Tensioned tires, replace broken lights, order new windshield wiper blades and install them in advance. That saves you so much money because otherwise a garage would take extra time (and margin) on it. Small things have a big impact.

And the maintenance itself?

That may be where the real profit lies. The dealer is nice and official, but you also pay for the luxury showroom. A BOVAG garage is safe, clear and guaranteed. A universal garage is often more personal and cheaper. And a brand specialist for Volvo, Alfa Romeo, BMW, Volkswagen, for example, can actually save a lot of money through knowledge, used parts and craftsmanship focused on that one brand. So you don't have to blindly opt for one type of garage at all. Smart choices are key.

What few people do but should always do is simply request multiple quotes. There can be hundreds of euros difference between them for exactly the same repair. And that sometimes feels strange, because a car is technical. But it's just market forces. Dare to compare. Dare to ask questions.

And: always ask for universal or OEM parts. Original isn't always better, especially today, a lot comes from China, sometimes you mainly pay for the brand on the box. OEM is often identical or even exactly the same, but without a premium price.

Driving remains fun.

At Carvendo, we want driving to remain fun. Affordable. And, above all, honest. Not only when you buy the car, but especially in the years that follow. Because most of the business is in aftersales. That's where we want to bring transparency and think along smartly. The choice of where to maintain your car immediately determines how much you will ultimately lose per year.

Our vision is simple: if you understand how it works, you can control your costs yourself. This makes you stronger as a consumer and prevents surprises that make no one happy.

This way, driving remains enjoyable and is good for your wallet.

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